Cooking Up Progress: Oil-Jacketed Pans Revolutionize Meal Prep at Kuwala.
Food preparation at Kuwala begins before sunrise and continues throughout the day. Providing three meals daily for more than 300 people requires careful planning, dedication, and tremendous effort from the kitchen team. Traditionally, cooks prepared meals in very large stainless-steel pots over biogas burners. While effective, this method often creates uneven heat distribution and hot spots, requiring constant stirring and monitoring — particularly when preparing nsima and fresh farm produce.
After months of research and anticipation, Kuwala has now welcomed the arrival of new oil-jacketed boiling pans. These commercial-grade cooking vessels are specifically designed for large-scale food preparation and use thermal oil heating to ensure even, controlled cooking temperatures.
The double-layered construction allows heated thermal oil to circulate between the pan’s inner and outer walls, distributing heat evenly across a larger even cooking surface. This system reduces hot spots, prevents burning, and allows food to cook more consistently and efficiently. The new equipment will be especially valuable for preparing rice, which requires stable temperatures for proper cooking.
With the farm continuing to expand and introduce new crops, the kitchen staff has also enjoyed preparing a wider variety of meals. New additions to the menu now include eggplant stew with onions and tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, leafy greens, and mangos. Bananas are nearly ready for harvest as well—an exciting addition everyone is eagerly anticipating.